The problem we are experiencing with the hybrid braking system is more common than Toyota is admitting - and the dealers are aware of it. I rear ended a car as I was slowing to a stop when the brakes suddenly reduced their stopping friction ("let go") and before I could react on the rain-soaked road I hit the cars bumper at about 10 mph. I thought I had slipped off of the brake. Wrong. What I discovered is that the braking system is sensitive to bumps while stopping. If you hit a slight bump apparently the hybrid transferance of energy ceases and you're on your regular power brakes. The service supervisor at Toyota is the one who tipped me off to the "bump" problem. Later, going over the same stretch of road, I braked and the bump caused exactly the same "release" of friction. It's like hitting a patch of ice! Toyota needs to warn current owners and fix the problem.

03-12-2009 11:57 PM

I have a 2006 Highlander

I have a 2006 Highlander non-hybrid that we've had some braking issues with over this winter. I have Yokahama Geolanders that are rated excellent by Tire Rack and still have 3/4 tread but the SUV doesn't want to stop on snow covered roads, When braking you get the antilock brake noise when you stomp on the brakes which is normal but the cars just keeps moving forward until you pull the emergency brake. I did't believe it until i experienced it myself. Sounds like the highlander has a antilock brakie system issue if you ask me.

10-10-2009 05:02 AM

I had a big problem with my

I had a big problem with my hylander hyb 2009 on 10/8/2009 The vehicle in front of me stop and I Put the brake but the brake didn t respond and I hit heavy the vehicle in front . Now i have to spend a lot of money

02-03-2010 07:43 PM

I have a 2006 Hi Hy Limited

I have a 2006 Hi Hy Limited that I bought pre certified in 2008 with 38K on it. First let me say I LOVE THIS CAR!! I would buy it again in a second!! I have experienced the brake "coasting" slightly when I step on it lightly but I believe this to be less a defect and more of an after effect of the regen brakes. You simply have to learn to brake differently? The brakes are drive by wire as is the gas pedal. NO LINKAGE!! This is a radically different driving concept and you really need to treat it as such. I've always tried to follow other cars at a safe distance and when the coasting effect does occur, simply pressing the brakes slightly harder corrects this and stops the car on a dime!! I am amazed at how well this car does stop!! Follow at a safe distance proportionate to your speed!!! This more then your Hi Hy's brakes is probably the bigger problem?? Hope this helps???

02-07-2010 10:19 AM

We purchased a new 2006

We purchased a new 2006 Highlander Hybrid in June of 2006. The problem we have encountered is when the car is slowing down when braked and the rear end gets bounced by rough pavement. The brakes will fade and the stopping takes a few feet longer than expected. We took the car back to the dealer "Kerry Toyota", and were told that they did not find any problems. We will both say that the panic "heavy brake pedal" braking mode on this vehicle is amazing and works quite well. We love this car and have adjusted to it; but with anticipated longer stops on rough roads, or potholes! We like the car so well that we recently purchased the 2010 Prius. After the 1st servicing of the Prius, we did notice a high pitched squeal in the rear brakes. We are anxiously awaiting solutions to the Toyota braking problems that have been reported by their customers!

02-17-2010 04:49 PM

I just wrote to the NHSA and

I just wrote to the NHSA and Toyota. I have a 2008 Hybrid Hylander. I have experienced the same issue as the Preius with what they call "lag time" when breaking. The breaks work but it is a scary sensation. It is scary and feels like when I brake I am hitting accelerator and brake at the same time. It was happening before the recall and only at slow speed as I am braking to slow down at 35 mph or lower speeds.
They havent recalled the car but I know it is the same problem.. One thing I am certian of is when Toyota developes technology they will use it in all vehicles. Why reinvent the "wheel"/ I wrote to Toyota as well but have not heard from them.

Steve

02-19-2010 07:01 AM

I have a Certified Pre-owned

I have a Certified Pre-owned Highlander Hybrid 2009. I have recently noticed that the brakes started to grind (only 25,000 mi, almost all highway). More recently I've noticed that they seem soft and it takes me longer to stop. I thought I was imagining it at first given the recent recall, but now that I read all these posts, and realize how similar others' experiences are to mine, I am starting to think this is real. What can we do? Toyota has not recalled the Highlander Hybrid, but I don't want to wait for an accident to happen. Should we contact the US Transportation Dept? Toyota? Lawyers?

02-22-2010 06:42 AM

To me, the occasional

To me, the occasional momentary slip from regen brake to friction brake is a trivial effect of the blending the two braking actions. It doesn't add even a foot to braking distance - maybe 8 inches.

IMO anyone claiming that this slip is responsible for their rear-ending someone, is trifling. Just posturing to cover lousy driving and habitually late, hard braking. And they should not be driving ANY car in the first place. They should focus on drinking the latte and finish the cell conversation.

02-28-2010 12:38 AM

had 06 highlander. always

had 06 highlander. always thought brakes were inadequate. slow to stop. took in for 40000 service. dealer said rear brakes were totally shot. calipers were froze. excuses sitting outside-- not enough use. joke joke. when estimate to repair hit $2000 we dumped it. this is a problem toyota should stand behind. instead it was my behind taking the pain

06-04-2010 08:18 AM

It's unfortunate to have to

It's unfortunate to have to reach out to Highlander Hybrid owners after the fact but I just had a terrible accident as a result of the Highlander Hybrid braking problem and thought every owner should know right away. I'm going to re-post what I put on Edmunds.com

Here's what happened:

I was traveling home from business and was heading northbound on NY State Thruway 87 with traffic more to the heavy side but moving smoothly, weather conditions were excellent. Well apparently a goat had wandered onto the Thruway and a tractor trailer driver locked up the brakes to stop for it. The few cars between myself and the tractor trailer quickly moved over to the left lane with the last one swerving almost at the last second. I moved my foot over to the brake seeing that there was probably slow moving traffic ahead and when I saw the truck, it didn't have brake lights or flashers on so it took me a moment to process that he was standing still. Well I had to make a quick decision: the left lane was blocked for me because everyone else had swerved to it, the right shoulder had a guard rail from the underpass I had just went under; I thought I could try to get through the small gap between the truck and the guard rail but I thought I might flip if I hit the rail too hard so I chose to square up on the truck's bumper and stood on the brake pedal and that was at about 90 to 100 yards till impact. Well the anti-locks started out well and I felt 5 to 10 pulses of the brake then (just as all of you have described and we all know happens with this vehicle) the brakes stop and the vehicle is coasting but doing it at 50+mph. The Highlander continues coasting for 40+ yards (1 to 2 seconds as I recall) before the anti-locks start working again but at this time it was too late and I hit the tractor trailers rear bumper at about 50mph and stopped dead (the bumper on the trailer was too high for the Highlander's frame so the bulk of the deceleration occurred at the motor and passenger compartment, 50mph to 0 in about 3 or 4 inches.) The collision guys couldn't believe I walked away from the accident, they told me that 'high hits' at that speed against tractor trailers are almost always deaths or paralysis at best. I am messed up for sure, hands and feet are numb and back and neck are incredibly painful. I have bruises that run from my ankle right up to my knee from the dash board and my right knee split open also from the dash. I had a large goose egg on the crown of my head from where the high hit of the trucks bumper drove the vehicle down. All in all, I shouldn't be here writing this post but could easily be in a funeral home somewhere waiting from my family to have me buried.

I called Toyota several times about this and no one has ever called me back. Last year, after the Prius recall, I wrote an email to the US Department of Transportation telling them that the Toyota 2007 Highlander Hybrid has the very same failure mode (I.e., brakes not functioning consistently during rough driving conditions.)

Reading through the previous posts here, my vehicle did the exact same thing as the rest of yours does. I know of at least three failure modes on my Highlander Hybrid and they have been described here previously but here they are as I know them: 1) the low speed surge while the regenerative braking system switches to friction braking, 2) stopping on slippery roads especially ice and slush, the anti-lock brakes stop functioning and don't work again till the vehicle is almost at rest 3) under rough driving conditions the brakes will stop working for 1 to 2 seconds before re-engaging ... which was the one that resulted in such a bad collision for me.

My advice to those of you who still have Highlander Hybrids is don't except any excuses from Toyota or the dealership. This is Toyota not doing the right thing because I'm sure they are aware of the problem. I had learned to live with the failure modes in the braking system like the rest of you have but one day you might be faced with the same situation as I just was and have to watch a stationary object (like a tractor trailer) come at you like a freight train and know there is nothing you can do about it.